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Public commenters press National City council to fill year‑long city manager vacancy; council enters closed session
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Summary
At a National City City Council meeting, public commenters demanded records and faster hiring for a city manager vacancy and accused Mayor Ron Morrison of assuming managerial duties; the council moved into closed session to discuss the city manager's employment under Government Code section 54957(b)(1).
Public commenters urged the National City City Council to speed up hiring for a city manager vacancy they said has persisted for more than a year and asked the council to release recruitment records, then the council moved into closed session to discuss the city manager’s employment.
Alicia Morrison, a public commenter, asked the council to provide public records on the nationwide recruitment, including "the amount of financial resources utilized in the recruitment process," the number of applicants, interviews and offers made since the position was vacated. "The longer this goes, the worst it makes this city look," she said.
The demand for transparency was echoed by other speakers. Doyle Morrison cited the National City Municipal Code’s statement of the city manager’s powers and duties and asked whether the acting city manager would enforce personnel discipline, asking in part, "Will this current acting city manager hand out the mayor's assistant discipline?" He urged that "all city employees that are found guilty" be disciplined.
Mika Polanco, another public commenter, said the vacancy and perceived uneven enforcement of rules has damaged staff morale and called on council members to act independently. "You don't have to collude with him... Have the courage to have your own voice," Polanco said, adding that officials' "past behavior determines future behavior."
McCarthy used his public comment to level more direct allegations against Mayor Ron Morrison, saying residents believe the mayor "has illegally assumed the role of city manager and mayor" and urging public action. "Ron, you need to go," McCarthy said, calling for "an independent qualified city manager" and asserting that the current situation reflects "widespread corruption." These claims were made during public comment and were not responded to on the public record during the meeting.
After public comment, the clerk turned the meeting to the city attorney, who announced the council would go into closed session on agenda item 5.1, "public employment pursuant to Government Code section 54957(b)(1)," saying, "the position we'll be discussing is city manager." The council entered closed session; the clerk later called the meeting back to order, noted members present at the dais, and said the council would return for the regular meeting at 6:00 and report out at the end of the council meeting. The closed session outcome was not disclosed in the public portion of the transcript.
No votes or formal council actions on hiring or discipline were recorded in the public portion of the meeting transcript. Members of the public requested specific records and information about the recruitment process and disciplinary steps; the transcript does not show council responses to those requests during the open meeting.
